[[File:John-romanides.jpg|right|thumb|px225|Rev. Prof. John S. Romanides]]Father '''John S. Savvas Romanides''' (1927 - 2001) was a prominent 20th century Orthodox Christian [[priest]], [[theologian]], and writer. Fr. Romanides served under the [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]] and the [[Church of Greece]].

FrProtopresbyter John S. Romanides was [[ordination|ordained ]] in 1951 while studying at Yale University Divinity School, and served at Holy Trinity Church in Waterbury, Connecticut, from 1951 till 1954. After finishing his studies at Yale he was transferred for the summer of 1954 to Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City until he left for studies at [[St. Sergius Orthodox Theological School Institute (Paris, France)|St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute]] in Paris (1954-55). He did his doctoral work at the University of Athens from 1956 to 1957. He was appointed professor at Holy CrossHis dissertation, Brookline''[[The Ancestral Sin]]'', Mass. where he taught between was accepted and published in 1957 and 1965 while continuing his studies and research at the Harvard Divinity School and then at , but over the Harvard Graduate School objections of Arts faculty members [[Panagiotes N. Trembelas|Panagiotes Trembelas]] and SciencesP. All this time, between 1957 to 1968, he was also a parish priestI. Bratsiotis. He was appointed to Although the parish of Newportdissertation focused on original sin, [[Christos Yannaras]] writes, New Hampshire "Romanides succeeded in 1958. Then in 1959 he was appointed summarizing the first priest whole of St. Athanasius The Great Orthodox Church in Arlington[[dogma]], Mass. which he helped found and organize. He resigned emphasizing the deep gulf separating it from Holy Cross in 1965 in protest over the removal intellectualist and juridical expressions of Father Georges Florovsky from the faculty by Archbishop IacovosWestern dogma". Between 1965 <ref>Christos Yannaras, ''Orthodoxy and 1968 Father Romanides served as the pastor of Holy ApostlesWest'' Parish in Haverhill, Mass. He was professor of dogmatics at the University of Thessalonike from 1970 until his retirement in 1984. From 1970 on, he also taught at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. He continued to teach even after his retirementp.276 (ISBN 978-1885652812)</ref>

He was appointed professor at [[Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, Massachusetts)|Holy Cross]], Brookline, Massachusetts, where he taught between 1957 and 1965 while continuing his studies and research at the Harvard Divinity School and then at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. All this time, between 1957 to 1968, he was also represented a [[parish]] priest. He was appointed to the parish of Newport, New Hampshire, in 1958. Then in 1959 he was appointed the first priest of St. Athanasios the Great Orthodox Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, which he helped found and organize. He resigned from Holy Cross in 1965 in protest over the removal of Greece Father [[Georges Florovsky]] from the faculty by [[Archbishop]] [[Iakovos (Coucouzis) of America|Iakovos]]. He was professor of [[dogmatics]] at the University of Thessaloniki from 1970 until his resignation in 1982. From 1970 on, he also taught at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. He continued to teach even after his retirement. Between 1965 and 1968 Father Romanides served as member the pastor of Holy Apostles' Parish in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Protopresbyter John Romanides petitioned Metropolitan [[Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos]], on April 13th, 1998, to be transferred to the Holy Metropolis of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios. Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos petitioned Archbishop Spyridon of America, on June 17, 1998, for the Central Committee canonical discharge of Fr. Romanides from the World Council [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Churches and America]], in order to be added to the dialogues with Clergy of the Lutherans Holy Metropolis of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios. The request was granted on October 8, 1998. Thus, from October of 1998 until the Oriental Orthodoxday of his death, 1st November 2001, he belonged to the Clergy of the Holy Metropolis of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios. He reposed in Athens on [[November 1]], 2001.

He also represented the [[Church of Greece]] as member of the Central Committee of the [[World Council of Churches]] and in the dialogues with the Lutherans and the Oriental Orthodox. His legacy lives on through his more then 2,000 students, including many priests, monks[[monk]]s, and at least 10 bishops.

Romanides argued for the existence of a "national, cultural and even linguistic unity between East Eastern and West Western Romans" that exisited until the intrusion and takeover of the West Romans (the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]) by the Franks and or Goths (German tribes). {{stub}} * ''Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine: An Interplay Between Theology and Society'' (1982)*''Ancestral Sin'' (2002)* ''An Outline of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics'' (2004)

==Criticism==*''The Ecclesiology of St Ignatius of Antioch'' (1956).* ''Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine: An Interplay Between Theology and Society'' (1982) ISBN 0916586545Some * ''Ancestral Sin'' (2002) ISBN 0970730314* ''An Outline of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics'', edited by [[George Dragas|George Dion Dragas]]. (2004) ISBN 0974561843* ''The Life in Christ'', translated from the criticisms have been raised against: French with an introduction by James L. Kelley (2010) ISBN 919672752

* The Franks were among the earliest converts to theOrthodox faith (well, so were the Burgundians, but they were absorbed bythe Frankish kingdom), so they could hardly be accused of persecuting"Roman Catholics" (which is misleading terminology in itself at thisperiod); ==Studies==* Clovis himself converted to Orthodoxy, as did his FrankishsubjectsAidan Nichols. Indeed, the ecclesiastical hierarchy in Visigothic Gaul openlyworked on behalf of Clovis, since the bishops preferred the OrthodoxFranks to the heretical Arian Visigoths. Far from regarding Clovis as ananti"John Romanides and neo-imperial barbarianPhotianism, the Eastern Emperor Anastasius (reigned 491-519)granted Clovis the highest honors normally granted to distinguishedsenators " in Constantinople -- ''Light From the coveted ranks of consul East: Authors and patricianThemes in 508Orthodox Theology. As '' 1995. ISBN 0722050801*Andrew J.MSopko. ''Prophet of Roman Orthodoxy: The Theology of John Romanides.'' 1998. WallaceISBN 978-Hadrill, no blind admirer of Clovis, put it in0919672253his *The Barbarian West* (NJames L.YKelley.''A Realism of Glory: Harper Torchbooks, 1962), page 74-75,"the Emperor had for some time been Lectures on Christology in touch with the Franks and was gladto recognize themWorks of Protopresbyter John Romanides.'' Rollinsford, at the appropriate momentNH: Orthodox Research Institute, as a counter-balance to2009. ISBN 9781933275376Gothic power in the West*Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos." From this point on, the Eastern Empire andthe Frankish Kingdom were usually allies pitted against the Arianbarbarian kingdoms in the WestEmpirical Dogmatics of The Orthodox Catholic Church. The Papacy too smiled on According to the Franks asprotectors Spoken Teaching of the true faith, and called upon the later Carolingiandynasty to protect Rome from the Lombards when the Byzantineadministration in central Italy collapsed in the early 8th centuryFather John Romanides." Volume 1. 2012. ISBN: 978-960-7070-75-3. Volume 2. 2013.ISBN: 978-960-7070-81-4

Relations began to sour when Pepin "the Short" handed what had==References==been the Exarchate of Ravenna over to the Pope as the nucleus of thePapal States (at that time, the "Patrimony of St. Peter"). But as theByzantines had lost that area to the Lombards, who in turn lost it toPepin, it was his by right of conquest, and the Roman claims wereadmittedly weak. Later, Charlemagne had a brief border war with theEastern Empire, but this was to force his fellow emperor inConstantinople to recognize Charlemagne's comparable position in theWest.  * There never was any Carolingian "conspiracy" to overrun theEastern Empire. (This issue has been discussed at length on the Byzans-L listhost) * Professor Romanides and his followers appear to confuse the Greekusage of "Franks" -- which later writers applied indiscriminately to_all_ Western Latin Europeans, including Germans! -- with the originaltribe that occupied Gaul. Yes, the sack of Constantinople in 1204, anevent which almost everyone on this list deplores as one of the mostshort-sighted tragedies of history, was carried out by "Frankish" (i.e.,French) minor nobility, but let's not forget the Venetians (Italians!)either. The Great Schism of 1054, which split the Latin and Greekchurches apart, was carried out during the pontificate of Leo IX -- aGerman, not a "Frank." Professor Romanides, either through ignorance ofWestern history or perhaps because he has an axe to grind, has blamed thepoor "Franks" of the Merovingian and Carolingian states for the excessesof later people who might not have recognized nor used that name. Also, Justinian was issuing his *Novellae* in Greek, not Latin,throughout his reign, because Latin was becoming a forgotten language inthe East, just as Greek was vanishing in the West -- which makes claimsof a prevailing linguistic and cultural continuity questionable at best.<references />

<!---* [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/subject/hd/fak7/hist/o1/logs/byzans-l/log.started960829/0031.html Re: Fr. John Romanides' writings on history and eccesiology] - A response on the [http://www.doaks.org/byzansl.html Byzans-L email list] by Timothy Bratton == External links ==* [http://www.romanity.org/ The Romans: Ancient, Medieval and Modern] Website honoring Fr. John and archiving many of his writings (and those of others)--->

[[Categoryel:Modern WritersΙωάννης Ρωμανίδης]]